God of Awesomeness
by Ricorum Scaevola
Summary: Dawn was a good time for making decisions... But this one has already been made. Set post Heroes of Olympus. Leo Valdez makes a pretty obvious choice. One-shot.
I've had this idea going through my head since _Heroes of Olympus_ ended. Just a slight add-on to the end of the series. Enjoy.

As always, Disclaimer. I'm simply playing in someone else's sandbox.

God of Awesomeness

* * *

The sun was going to rise soon. Leo stood in the doorway of the machine shop and stared at the coming dawn. The nervous energy he usually had was conspicuously absent; he stood completely still as the dark of night slowly began to fade.

Behind him, an arm snaked around his waist. "What are you doing up so early?" a soft voice murmured behind him.

"Making sure Apollo had everything well in hand. You never know."

The voice behind him snorted. "What; you think you'd be able to do anything if his chariot goes wrong?"

Leo put on an offended face as he wheeled around to face his girlfriend/business partner. "I'll have you know, woman, that I _am_ one of the few people on Earth that could actually do something about it! How many other fireproof mechanics do you know who can work with godly engines?"

"Only one, but Apollo already has a working relationship with him."

Leo waved a hand at the sky dismissively. "Dad doesn't count."

"Your father doesn't count? He _invented_ godly engines. And gave you your fireproof-ness." Calypso knew she had won; Leo could sense it. He was going to have to admit defeat this time.

He dropped his hand and instead took hers, squeezing it softly. "I didn't get everything from my dad, you know."

"You're right. Lord Hephaestus has a better sense of humor than you too."

"Hey!" Leo tried to be outraged, but now Calypso was laughing and he couldn't even pretend to be angry while listening to that sound. He settled for pulling her in close and feeling her laughter vibrate the two of them. Gradually, her laughter died away, leaving a companionable silence.

"Any difference today?"

"None. I don't think there's going to be a difference, either."

Leo tightened his grip around her at her words.

It had been several months since Leo had assisted in defeating Gaia, died, come back to life, flown back to Ogygia and rescued the girl of his dreams from her eternal imprisonment. Since that time, they had ended up laying low, keeping clear of any immortal attention. Leo had technically broken the rules when he died and came back to life; the Physician's Cure Asclepius had given him was a pretty big no-no in the god's eyes. The last time Asclepius had brought people back from the dead… it hadn't ended well for anyone involved.

Hence, the laying low. Leo was going to be certain that Zeus wasn't going to be ticked before he let anyone know he was alive.

However, the bigger problem was Calypso. Months off the island, and she was still completely immortal. She had confessed it to him a little while ago, after he had gotten a job at a mechanics shop. She still had complete power over her age, appearance, everything.

Leo did not. He was going to get older. She wasn't.

Eventually, he would die. She never would.

"We'll figure something out," he said, still holding her close. "If something doesn't work, there's always a way to fix it."

Slowly, she pulled away. "I hope you're right. I'm done losing people I care about."

Leo blushed a little at her words; months spent together, and he still was processing the fact that a witty, impossibly beautiful immortal girl actually loved him. Had chosen him. Was still sticking with him.

His thoughts were interrupted by a bright light peeking over the hills. He turned back to the north, to watch the sun come up with his girlfriend.

Wait.

North?

…That wasn't the sun.

Calypso got it a bit before Leo did. She gasped and tightened her grip on his hand. "I think we're in trouble. I know who that is."

Leo frantically looked around to see what options they had.

Weapons? Yeah right; he didn't even have his tool belt. They had both just gotten up from their respective cots. His Archimedes Spheres were safely hidden away. No way would he get to any of them before the light arrived.

Festus? Leo was currently in the process of repairing his dragon from the damage Gaia had done to him in their final clash. Festus was active, but he was also currently strewn around the garage in pieces.

Running? Too late now; the figure in the light was too close to possibly flee from. Besides which, Leo just couldn't leave Festus and the rest of his gear behind.

That left the worst option: talking.

He squeezed Calypso's hand reassuringly, though he wasn't sure who he was actually reassuring. "Act natural. We're innocent. We _exude_ innocence."

Calypso snorted again. "Right. The jail-broken immortal and the boy who cheated death. We're innocent, all right."

"That's the spirit."

In front of them, the pillar of fire that had been the source of the light had stopped a short distance from the couple and was coalescing into the figure of a man. The man was tall but hunched, with one shoulder higher than the other. His head was slightly misshapen, and he had a metal brace on one leg. He wore a dirty, oil-stained jumpsuit with his name embroidered over the chest pocket.

Leo waved awkwardly with his free hand. "Hey…dad."

Calypso elbowed him sharply in the ribs before pulling him down into a formal bow. "Lord Hephaestus. We are honored."

Hephaestus grunted. "Calypso. If this really was an honor, perhaps you could look a little less panicked. I'm not here for you, though," His gaze turned to Leo, "this could concern you as well."

Calypso stiffened a bit, but managed to nod. Hephaestus limped closer and put his hand on Leo's shoulder. He grunted again. "So, here you are, boy. Alive, though you shouldn't be. We've been discussing what to do with you for some time now."

Leo's throat tightened uncomfortably, but he managed a shaky grin. "Well, you know, I'm kind of attached to my life. Definitely didn't want to break any rules, but you know, things just happened. Killed Gaia, died, the whole thing." Gods, he was rambling.

His father patted his shoulder. "That's why I'm here, instead of Hermes. After some debate, Zeus has come to a decision, but it requires your choice."

"My…choice?" Leo's throat was really dry. He felt like he was about to burst into flame. Maybe he was.

Hephaestus took a step back. "Mortals can't just go around coming back from the dead. Hades says the paperwork alone is murder, excuse the phrase. Immortals, on the other hand…"

Calypso took a step forward, slightly interposing herself between Leo and his father. "Lord Hephaestus, what are you saying?"

"What I'm saying, my dear, is this: Leo is supposed to be dead. However, for his heroics in defeating Gaia and saving the world, the Gods have agreed to make him immortal as an alternative."

Leo couldn't help it. His hair caught on fire. He ignored it. "Me? Immortal?"

Hephaestus snapped his fingers and the fire on Leo's head was instantly extinguished. "The official story will be that you were made immortal just before your 'death'. That way, the Gods save face in trying to explain how a mortal cheated death; you couldn't have died in the explosion, since you were already immortal."

This was going too fast for Leo to completely comprehend. "So, because the Gods don't want to do paperwork, I'm being made a god?"

Hephaestus scowled. "This is an honor, boy. Jackson was a fool for turning it down; we haven't made someone a god in millennia. Of course, there is the alternative…"

That didn't sound good. "The alternative?"

Hephaestus fixed Leo with a fiery stare. "The alternative, where Hermes comes instead of me, and escorts you to your final destination."

Oh.

 _Oh._

Leo gulped, trying to remoisten his throat. "What happens to Calypso in all this?"

Here, his father's face softened. "Whatever she wants. She was on that island for a little longer than she was supposed to be. Whatever you decide, she's free to do as she pleases."

Well, that was good, at least. Leo turned to look at her. "Well, this seems pretty straightforward, but I've been told a man should always get a girls opinion before he does something crazy".

Calypso rolled her eyes. "Sure, ask for my opinion now that the choice has already been made," she said sarcastically.

She took Leo's hand with both of hers and held it up. "I'm with you all the way. Wherever you go, I'm through losing people I love."

If Hephaestus hadn't put it out, Leo was sure his head would have reignited at her words. He squeezed her hands in thanks, then turned back to the god in front of them. "Alright, I accept. How does this work?"

Hephaestus smiled, his misshapen head making it look slightly gruesome. He placed his hand on Leo's head. "This is it. By the will of the Olympians, you're now immortal. Hail, Leo Valdez, God."

A feeling of warmth swept through Leo, starting at his head and moving down. For a moment, there was a sensation of power, but it quickly faded. Pretty soon, Leo felt the same as before. "What, no lights? No pillar of fire? No chorus of Muses? I don't even feel any different."

Calypso poked him. "You've been immortal all of five seconds. Give it some time."

"Indeed. You've got plenty of it, now." Hephaestus removed his hand from Leo's head and stepped back again. "My son… congratulations. This will get Zeus and Hades off your back." He nodded at Calypso. "My dear, I leave him in your hands. I'll see both of you later." With a roar of flames, he was gone, leaving Leo and Calypso alone again in the light of dawn.

"So," Leo looked over at Calypso, "Leo Valdez, God of Awesomeness. How do I look?" He flexed his arms and waggled his eyebrows.

She stared at him with a deadpan expression. "It might just be me, but you look even scrawnier than before. I didn't think it was possible."

Leo put on a serious expression. "Hey, the God of _Awesomeness_ doesn't tolerate sass."

"God of Dorks, more like."

"Woman!"

Calypso abruptly lunged forward and embraced him. Whatever else he was going to say died with her lips against his.

She pulled back from the kiss and stared at him, smiling. "You haven't changed at all. You have no idea how happy that makes me."

Leo grinned. "So, you thought I was a god of awesomeness before now too?"

The grin dropped off her face and she poked him again. "Come on, God of Dorks. I'm making breakfast."

"Sure." Leo followed his immortal girlfriend back out of the dawn, into the shop.

"Hey Festus! Guess who's a God?"

* * *

Review for typos. Or anything else. As always, thanks for reading.


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